Donald J. Geyer, 79, St. Cloud

April 29, 1937 - April 9, 2017

Longtime businessman, Donald J. Geyer, age 79, of St. Cloud, MN, died Sunday, April 9, 2017 at the St. Cloud Hospital.

Visitation will be Tuesday, April 18, 2017 from 4:00 to 8:00 PM at Benson Funeral Home, St. Cloud, MN. Private family services will be held on Wednesday, April 19, 2017. Don will be buried next to his beloved granddaughter in Gordon Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Osakis, MN.

Donald James was born April 29, 1937 to Harvey and Mable Geyer. He was the youngest of six children. He was raised on a farm in Graceville Minnesota. As a boy, he enjoyed working with the animals and farming the land. That love remained with him throughout his life. Don owned several working farms-which he later developed into residential housing.

Don married Beverly Larson on October 29, 1955 in Collis, MN. Don was driven by a strong entrepreneurial spirit. He was determined to work for himself. In 1957 at the age of 20, he opened Geyer’s Auction House, where he worked as an auctioneer selling various wears. In his early years, he also scrubbed floors for Coborn’s grocery store and ran a lunch wagon where you could order Don’s very own homemade sloppy joes.

In 1959 Geyer Rental opened its doors and began offering rental equipment to contractors and homeowners. By the mid 1980s, Don had expanded the family business to include a wedding and event rental division, mini-storages and a traffic control division, along with several other businesses. Don was very thankful for the support and loyalty from the community. He took pleasure in seeing customers become friends. And loved when they would stop in to grab a bag of popcorn or sit and have a chat over a cup (or many cups) of coffee.

He was a supporter of various organizations and charities in the St. Cloud area.

Don had a passion for the outdoors. He enjoyed taking his nephews elk hunting in Montana, salmon fishing with his children and grandchildren on Washington Island, WI and tending to his buffalo at the family ranch in Colorado. He also loved to travel across the country in his RV.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Beverly, 5 children—all of who worked at the family business at one point—and 12 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. His children are Renee (Steve) Jennings; Rebecca (Kevin) Kissner; Todd; Debbie Geyer-Croat (Ken); Sandra.

He was preceded in death by his parents, 5 siblings and beloved granddaughter, Abigail Jennings.